Royal Conservatory of Music

RCM

What is Royal Conservatory of Music?

WPS is a Founding School for The Royal Conservatory of Music Certificate Program. RCM curriculum represents the highest national standard for accreditation in music education at the precollege to Associate Diploma level in the US and Canada.

We are proud to offer our students the “Gold-Standard” in classical music training and assessment.

Participation in the Royal Conservatory exams is optional. We respect our students’ choice to be involved with the RCM program, and though most of our students do participate, we also have students whose studies lead them to other paths.

For those who seek the structure, prestige and validation that the RCM program is famous for, we are the oldest and most experienced school in the state, and the only center whose director was personally trained at the Conservatory in Toronto to host examinations.

  • WPS’s students receive preparation for these national music assessments each year.
  • Students receive a National Certificate as well as detailed written feedback from international experts in the music field. 
  • The RCM program allows students to receive certification, track their progress, and measure their improvements based on an international standardized music curriculum.
  • RCM Exams begin with Prep A and Prep B, then from Grade 1-Grade 10.
    Theory is a co-requisite beginning with RCM Grade 5.
  • Students from Kindergarten to High School Seniors, College to Senior Citizens, learn to play the piano expertly, with grace and skill.
  • Students participating in RCM exams have validation of their level of expertise through the exams they complete. The Royal Conservatory is an internationally recognized and respected classical music conservatory.
  • A history of completing examinations with RCM greatly assists our students with gaining acceptance to college music programs, whether music major or minor in is their wish when they enter college.
  • Wendelken Piano Studio is proud to say our students have had 100% acceptance to colleges and universities after completing their studies with us. Many of our students have also been awarded scholarships based on their skill and musicianship.
  • WPS has trained students of all ages and levels for more than a thousand exams, over twenty years, and we are known for the high caliber of our students. certain each of our students is secure and confident each time.
  • The RCM program allows students to receive certification, track their progress, and measure their improvements based on an international standardized music curriculum.
  • The RCM program allows students to receive certification, track their progress, and measure their improvements based on an international standardized music curriculum.
  • RCM Exams begin with Prep A and Prep B, then from Grade 1-Grade 10.
    Theory is a co-requisite beginning with RCM Grade 5.
  • The RCM program allows students to receive certification, track their progress, and measure their improvements based on an international standardized music curriculum.
  • RCM Exams begin with Prep A and Prep B, then from Grade 1-Grade 10.
    Theory is a co-requisite beginning with RCM Grade 5.
  • WPS has trained students of all ages and levels for more than a thousand exams, making certain each of our students is secure and confident each time.

Top 10 Reasons

Why We Love Royal Conservatory of Music

1. RCM exams are something every student, of every age and level, can participate in. This enables students to begin working towards goals with their music from very early on.
2. The RCM Syllabus is an excellent cornerstone of a well-rounded classical education. It encourages students of all levels to learn music thoroughly, respecting technical exercise, ear training, sight reading, theory, to name a few essential elements of music training.
3. The repertoire required for RCM preparation is varied and inspiring. There is something to inspire every type of student to want to practice!
4. RCM exams are fun! Really- our students always come out smiling.
5. RMC syllabus ensures that we study all genres of music necessary for a well-rounded musician: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Post-Romantic, Impressionist, and all types of contemporary.
6. Students learn faster when taught from a curriculum that is the right and perfect level for their skills.
7. Goal setting encourages students to stay focused and on track.
8. RCM exams give authentication to each student’s level of achievement. This is useful when applying to colleges and universities, where RCM credits are taken seriously.
9. The RCM curriculum ensures you move at a steady rate. Students who are taught from the curriculum go father, faster. Successful students stick with their music!
10. RCM students have a strong sense of camaraderie. There is a strong network of support within our studio, with students rooting for each other and inspiring one another.

Wendelken Piano Studio's

Unique ties to The Royal Conservatory of Music

Director of WPS, Ms. Mary Wendelken remembers, “I had just moved back to the states from England, where I’d attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. The RAM had this inspiring program for students where they could train for an Associate diploma in Piano Performance. Sir Elton John had studied at the Academy within this very program. So when I moved to Tampa in the mid 90’s, I was delighted to find a similar program with the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Ten months after receiving the teaching syllabus, I took twenty-some students and their families and boarded a plane to Toronto to take our very first exams at the actual Conservatory. That’s how enthusiastic my students were about this program!

After that, the RCM syllabus became one of the main cornerstones in my private studio. The music RCM selects is quality, and varied and there is always something for everyone. I like to play each of the pieces for my students, and collaborate with them to select what they love and what they need. I have been teaching RCM here in Florida for over 20 years and I was one of the first seven pioneers in the US who knew about RCM, long before RCM began to branch out to the USA.”

Each year, Wendelken trains roughly 80% of her students to take the practical exam and the written theory exam. Each year, Wendelken Piano Studio earns Silver and Gold medals for achieving the highest score in the testing center and in the state. Wendelken credits RCM partly for the longevity of her student base, where students remain with her for many years, departing only to move away to college.

Mary Wendelken is both a Founding Teacher and owner of a Founding School for the Royal Conservatory of Music. She is also the Tampa Bay examination representative for the RCM practical exams and theory exams. “I believe in teaching my students a fully balanced musical education. By the time they are ready for college we have a portfolio of RCM exams, theory exams, video recordings, and a nice array of competition awards to assist them with getting doors to open when they go to college, whether it manifest in better scholarships, admission to highly-competitive schools, invitation to study music as a music minor, major, really, it’s up to the student what they want. The way is paved for them.”

”The Royal Conservatory of Music is internationally recognized and respected. The RCM curriculum enables me to do what I do best- create, perform, and teach!- and relax, knowing the repertoire I am teaching my students is appropriately challenging and diverse.”